PJ Mark, Literary Agent PJ Mark is an active literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates, open to queries and representing a diverse range of authors and genres.
About PJ Mark
PJ Mark, Literary Agent
Director
PJ Mark moved to NYC in 1990 and used his student loans to start a literary journal to publish writers and friends. He began his publishing career as an international book scout in 1993 and briefly worked as a journalist covering the book beat. In 2002 he became a literary agent, working at the talent agency IMG and at boutique firms Collins McCormick and McCormick & Williams. He joined Janklow & Nesbit Associates in 2010 and was named Partner in 2015.
The bestselling and influential writers he represents regularly receive numerous awards and honors, including: 11 covers of the New York Times Book Review; multiple New York Times “100 Notable Books of the Year” lists; 4 covers of Publishers Weekly (twice for “Best Books of the Year”); 8 “5 Under 35” honors by the National Book Award Foundation; 20 longlist and shortlist nominations including 3 wins of The Center for Fiction Prize; 4 MacArthur "Genius" Grants; 2 Booker nominations; and 7 National Book Award longlist and finalist medals. As well as frequent nominations, finalist lists and wins of: the Andrew Carnegie Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Windham Campbell Prize, NEA grants, the Whiting Awards, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. They have been featured on The New Yorker’s “20 Under 40” list, Granta’s “Best of Young American Novelists” and the cover of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.”
Titles Represented:
In 2021, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction and Ed Yong won the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting.
In 2022, Strangers to Ourselves by Rachel Aviv, The Furrows by Namwali Serpell and An Immense World by Ed Yong were named on the list of “The Ten Best Books of 2022” by The New York Times Book Review.
In 2024, Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
In 2024, The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson and Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon were named by The New York Times Book Review as part of “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.”
In 2026, Bibliophobia: A Memoir by Sarah Chihaya was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Memoir, and Rachel Aviv was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing.
PJ Mark Submission Guidelines
Janklow & Nesbit accepts submissions by email only and does not accept submissions written with artificial intelligence. Writers should direct their query to a specific agent and send all submissions to submissions@janklow.com.
For fiction, include an informative description, a brief synopsis, and the first 10 pages pasted into the body of the email. For nonfiction, include an informative description, a full outline, and the first 10 pages of the manuscript, also pasted into the email.
For picture books, include an informative description, a full outline, a picture book dummy, and at least one full-color sample. The dummy should be attached as a PDF, and the color samples may be JPEGs or PDFs. For graphic novels, include 10 illustrated pages with text as a PDF attachment and a synopsis in the body of the email.
Due to the volume of submissions received, the agency does not respond to every query and will contact writers only if interested in pursuing the project.
Core Submission Instructions
Choose a specific Janklow & Nesbit agent, send your query to submissions@janklow.com, and follow the format required for your project type. Fiction and nonfiction sample pages should be pasted into the email body; picture book and graphic novel materials may require attachments.
Hints
No attachments in email queries; include sample pages in the body of the email.